1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a training device, and, more particularly, to a swimming training paddle.
2. Background Information
Swimmer training paddles, which attach to a swimmer's hands to provide desired resistance and enhancement to stroke work, are well known. The paddles are generally used to work on stroke technique, upper-body isolation training, stroke balance and so forth. The paddles typically perform well when the fluid environment (water and air) through which the paddles move produces a strong force normal to the plane of the palm throughout the entire stroke. An example of such a stroke is the front crawl (more commonly known as freestyle), in which the arms move along the long axis of the body to provide propulsion; this is the same as the forward motion of the swimmer's body through the water. The known prior training paddles do not, however, work well for strokes that incorporate a sideways motion of the arms (along the short axis of the body) to propel the body forward through the water. In particular, the known prior training paddles do not work well for the breaststroke.
The known prior training paddles are essentially flat, rest against the palm of the hand and attach to the hand and/or wrist with straps. During the freestyle stroke, the movement of the paddle in the direction of the long axis of the stroke essentially holds the paddle against the swimmer's hand. In strokes like the breaststroke, however, in which the long axis of the stroke is perpendicular to the arms' movement through the water, water is forced between the surface of the paddle and the swimmer's hand. This results in a loosening of the straps holding the respective training paddles to the hands, and thus, a loss of efficiency in training. Eventually, the straps may loosen enough that the force of the water causes the paddle to actually separate from the hand, and thus, become essentially useless as a training tool. To avoid the loosening of the straps and/or the loss of the paddles, breaststrokers are generally required to swim more slowly, and the training is thus adversely affected.